Amusement device.



W. ALLEGRBTTI. AMUSEMENT DEVICE. APPLICATION FiLED JULY 10, 1911.

1 1,929,904. PatentedJune 18,1912.

'P'IENT ord rs.

a J NICHOLAS W. ALLEGBE'ITI, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

' .emnsnmmvr nnvron.

Specification of Letters ratent. Patented J fine 18, 1912.

Application filed July 10, 1911. Serial No.' 637,698.

To all t t may concern:

Be it 'knownthat' I, NICHOLAS W. ALLY];

GRETTI, ,acitizen of the United States',residing-atfChicagminthe countyof Cook and State of'Illinois, have" invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Amusement Devices, of which the following is aspecification. I This invention relatesto amusement devices such as areemployed in parks, play grounds, bathing beaches, and the like, and hasfor its principal object. to provide a novel formof entertainment inwhich a person attempts to attain the summit of a freely rotatable body.I I

Another objectis to provide improved means for preventinga arson frombeing injured. when he falls rom the rotatable b dy- 1 For theattainment-of these ends and the accomplishment of other". new anduseful objects, the'invention consists in the features of noveltygenerally shown in the accompanying drawing and described in thespecification, but more particularly pointed out in the appended claims,In the drawingFigure 1 is .an exempli ficationlof my invention partly incross sec tion, showing the rotatable member to1 'be supported .by aliquid contained in a receiver or holder, and with inclined sides orapproaches to prevent a person from being injured. Fig. 2 is amodification of my i11-v vention with a cushion or bumperto pre-, ventpersons being injured. Fig. 3 is-Ja; modification of the inventionshowing "ball bearing structure to of the rotatable mein r in itsholder. Fig; 4 is a diagrammatic representation of the rormit of freerotation tatablebody with a number of friction drive devices in contacttherewith about its surface. Fig. 5 is a view of the rotatable member asit may be confined in a free liquid, such aswater. Fig. 6-is a detailedview of one ofthe swivel members which form a hand and foot hold in thesurface of the rotatable member.

It is customary inplaces of amusement to provide devices of the class towhich this invention belongs, in which it is an object to attain acertain position about a freely movable member. In the present inventionthe body is freely rotatable in all directions,

and may be mounted'from all sides: Means are provided whereby whena-person falls the fall. Means are also provided for formmg a .hand andfoot hold in the surface of the rotatable body or sphere, and a flexibleflap is provided to prevent the limbs from.

her and its receiver or support.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, a spherical body ormember 10 is provided with hollowed out portions 11 in its surface, inwhich are positioned swivel members 12 which are of a shape and form toprovide a hand hold and foot hold. These swivel members 12 may be of anydesired or well known construction, but preferably are' of a form suchas shown in Fig. 6, in which a knob 13 is freely rotatable with theswivel members so that it may be held within the grasp or moved underthe foot, in accordance with the movement of the spherical body 10. Thisspherical body and it is contemplated that it may be made of wood or ofmetal, and may be solid, but it is preferably hollow in structure andpro- ;vided with means for access to the interior thereof. 7 i v Anysuitable means may "be employed for supporting the globe 10 in suchamanner {that it may be freely rotated in any direcshown in Fig. 1, inwhich a receiver or holder l i is provided with a substantially tionwhich is slightly larger than the sphere or globe 10. This receiver isfilled with the necessary quantity of suitable fluid to float the body10 thereln, or if desired a ace be- ..tween the globe and the holder mayoccupied by a number of ball bearings 15 which are movably held andspaced apart by a spacing, device 16. When the latter construction isemployed these ball bearings are preferably of the same material ofwhich the globe 10 is composed, so that there will not be undue wearingof the surface of the globe 10.

The. globe may be mountedfrom the side thereof, and in the preferredembodiment shown by Fig. 1 the receiver 14 is cut away on the outside toform a concentric groove 17 In the side of this groove 17 arepromounting to the top edge of the receptacle 14.. These steps 18 arepreferably in the or is thrown back he shall not be injured by' mayQbeofany desired or suitable structure,

:semispherical receiver or hollowed out porgetting caught between therotatable memtion. The preferred method, however, is

vided steps 18, or other suitable means for form of recesses largeenough to contain only the toe of the foot or shoe, so that when aperson falls from the globe he will not be injured by the projectionscaused by the '5 steps. Along the top edge of the receptacle and securedthereto is a flap 19, formed of some flexible material, such as rubberor the like, which extends toward theglobe and covers the space betweenthe globe and 10 the receptacle 14. The object of this flap is toprevent the limbs of a person from getting caught between the globe andthe receptacle. The annular groove or hollow 17 is formed with such aninclination that when a person falls back thereon his descent will begradually decreased, so that the chances for injury will be reduced to aminimum. If desired a floor or platform may be provided instead of thegroove 17,

20 and in such a case the platform as 20 (Fig.-

. 2) is preferably provided with a buffer or an air cushion 21 toprevent a person from injury. If desired the globe 10 may be providedwith positive driving means adjacent 25 its edges, as shown for examplein Fig. 4,

' a construction it is evident that by having three or more drivingdevices the globe may be rotated in any direction by simply varying thepressure of the various wheels against the globe. It is contemplatedalso 40 that this globe may be floated-upon the surface of the water andretained in position by a frame 22, with a flap 19, similar to thatalready described. In such a position it would not be necessary toprovide means for mounting upon the surface of the globe.

Substantially the same result mig ht be obtained by filling the groove17 (see Fig. 1) with water or any other suitable fluid.

' The hand and foot-hold devices are 10- cated all about the surface ofthe globe 10,-

audit is evident that the globe is freely rotatable in all directions,and that it-may be mounted from any sideby any number of' personsand'at. the same time. It is also adapted for use-in the Water, orsupported by a fluid, or it may be provided with bearings to permit ofits rotation in any direction. ,Theconstruction such that there is nodanger of any of the participants being injured either in graspingthehandhold devices on the globe. or in falling from the globe.

- While I l'h'ave thus described the preferred construction, combinationand arrangement 5' of-rmy invention, it is ,evident'that those sphericalbody. provided with hand and familiar-with the art'to which this relatesmay make various changes without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. i

What I claim as new is: I g

1. An amusement device comprising a freely rotatable member providedwith means to rotate it in any direction.

2. An amusement device comprising a body free to rotate in any directionand 1 provided with means whereby it -may be rotated in any direction.

3. An amusement device comprising a body confined as to location andfree'to ro-.,

tate in any direction, and provided with 1 means to rotate it inanydirection.

4. An amusement device of the class described, comprising avspherical.bot typanfl' confining means therefor, the said body heing freelyrotatable in all directions in said 1 confining means. g 5. An amusementdevice of the class de scribed comprising a spherical body provided withengaging devices, and confining means to retain the body in a givenlocation -5 and at the same time to permit it to be freely rotated inany direction.

6. An amusement device of the class described comprising a sphericalbody provided with means to engage it upon the sur- 5 face thereof, andconfining means to retain the body therein, and at the same time topermit the body to be engaged and freely rotated in all directions. '7.An amusement device of the class de- 1 scribedcomprising a ball shapedbody provided on its surface with means to afford a hand and foot-hold,and confining means to retain the body in a given position at the sametime permitting the body to rotate 1 freely in all directions.

8. An amusement device comprising a spherical body provided with hand-.and:

i foot-hold devices in the surface thereof, and

a receiver for the said body to retain the 3 body in a given positionand to permit'the body to rot-ate in any direction in; the receiver.

9. An amusement device comprising a spherical body provided with handand 1 foot-hold devices in the surface thereof, a hollowed out receiverto contain the said body and means interposed between the body and thereceiver to permit the free rotation of the body in all'directions. I

10. An amusement device comprising a foot-hold devlces for'mountingthereon, a hollowed out receiver to contain and the body and a liquid tofloat the said body in the receiver and to permit it to rotate freelytherein in all directions.

11. An amusement device of the class described, comprising a ball, meansfor float ing the ball and means to retain the ball-in a given place,the retaining and floating means being adapted to permit the freerotation of the body in any direction.

. f 12. The combination with a spherical 5 body, of a receiver tocontain and retain the same in position, means to permit the freerotation of the body in the receiver, the surface of the body beingprovided withhollowed out portions, and swivel members po sitioned inthe hollowed out portions comi prisi-ng hand and foot-hold devices formounting the said body.

13. The combination with a spherical body, of a receiver substantiallysemispherical in form to contain the said body therein, means to supportthe said. body 7 'freely'in the receiver, hand and foot-hold devicesinthe surface of the "body, and means to mount to the edge ofthe'receiver substantially at the horizontal circumference ofthe saidbody.

- 14. The combination with a spherical body,,of a receiver to containthe'same and extending substantially half way about the body, hand andfoot-hold devices in the surface of the body and. means to mount to thetop of the receiver.

15. The combination with a spherical vbody, of a receiver formed with ahollowedout portion to contain the body and means onthe outside of thereceiver to mount to the top edge thereof, and hand and foothold deviceson the-surface of the body to mount thereon, the body being freelyrotatahis in the receiver. 1

16. In a device of the class described, the combination with a ball, ofa semi-spherical holder, the holder being formed with steps on theoutside to mount to the top thereof, hand and foot-hold devices in thesaid ball, the holderbein-g slightly larger than the ball to therein.

permit the free rotation of the ball l7.- In a device bf the classdescribed, the combination with a spherical member, of a holderextending about the member substantially at its horizontalcircumference, the member being freely rotatable in the holder, andflexible means extending from the edge of the holder toward the member.

18. The combination with a spherical body, of a holder to contain-thesame, means to permit'the free rotation of the body in the holder, thebody being spaced from the holder, and a flap attached to the holderin-' clined upwardly toward the bodyto cover the space between the bodyand the holder.

19. The combination with a spherical body, of a receiver with a hollowedout portion to "contain the body, means to permit the free rotation.ofthe body in all directions, hand and foot-hold devices in the surfaceof the body, and means to mount the side-of the receiver to the upperedge thereof, the outside of the said receiverbeing sloping inform toform a sliding surface, to check the fall of persons thereon.

20. The combination with a spherical body, of a receiver with a hollowedout pora tion to contain the body, means to permit the free rotation ofthe body in all directions, hand and foot-hold devices in the surface ofthe body, and a wall sloping away from the edge of the receiver andprovided in its surface with openings to permit the insertion of thefoot whereby'the saidsurface may be mounted.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 7thday of July A. D.1911..

NICHOLAS, .W. ALLEGRETTI. Witnesses NnvA J. 'HALBNE,

FRANCIS A. Horxms.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

